Not Even
by epikISLAND
Summary: Ryosaku. "No one, I repeat, no one, will take my happiness away. Not even that Echizen Ryoma."
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Umm…yeah…new story?

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.

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Chapter 1: Improvements

I walked through the school gates, like I had hundreds of times before. It was like a routine, I guess, ever since I was a little first year, not that I'm not little now. Although, as I look back to when I was a first year, I have to say that I've changed. Not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I might seem like a freak because I actually look back and examine how I was before, but I think it's a good thing to do. After all, it could maybe help me improve my personality or something. But, I guess, I've always been like this. I always strived to improve something about me, whether it be my cooking or my tennis. But the person I tried to improve for didn't even care about me. In fact, I don't think he even noticed me except for the times that I did something to inconvenience him and the times when I was waving food in his face. And after he was gone, even though I was going to miss him, I felt a surge of relief. I didn't have to try so hard without my accomplishments going unnoticed. That's when I decided to improve, not for anyone else, but for myself. Although it seems kind of selfish, I'm the happiest I've been in years. And no one, I repeat, no one will ever change that. Not even Echizen Ryoma.

--0--

A/N: So yeah…a Ryosaku fic. Yay. Well, the storyline just came to my mind when I was thinking about random things like ice cream, bunnies, and tennis. But I don't know if I'll ever continue it, I guess it just depends.

Feel free to point out any mistakes! (and sorry it's so short)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yeah, for some reason, I like this story. Ryosaku is my favorite pairing for PoT, so, of course, I have more motivation to write it. I usually skip around to different fandoms and I experiment with different pairings (reading, anyway) but Ryosaku is something that sticks with me to the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own PoT (will apply until end of story…if I ever finish it)

---0---

Chapter 2: Never Began

I quickly dashed to my class, room 3-1, at the end of the hall. I was panting, like usual, and while I'm not always late, today had been an exception. I had been left to run morning practice by myself, unlike usual, because the vice-captain had left to study for an upcoming exam she had forgotten about. The woes of being the Seigaku girls' team captain. I was too busy for words.

I finally reached my destination and collapsed onto my chair. I heard the morning bell ring a second later. I wasn't late.

"All right class!" I heard my young teacher exclaim with enthusiasm. "We're having a new student today!"

I was surprised. After all, it was almost the midterms, whoever had moved schools could have moved after the important exams. Frankly, I thought his or her parents were being stupid. Their own child's grades could drop because of that. Well, it isn't even my business to judge these things anyway.

"Come on in!" my teacher called to the new student.

The new student came in casually, almost rudely, that from the start I didn't like him. He was tall, about 5'8" and looked like he still had some growing to do. His skin was tan, and while I've seen tanner, it was still really dark. He had messy, dark greenish-blue and eyes shaped like a cat's eyes. His pupils were a golden-brown, and the light from the sun outside the windows reflected off of them. He had an air of superiority around him, as if he were the king of the world or something. And while he didn't seem to act as cocky as Atobe-san or some other people, he still seemed arrogant to the point that it was unbearable. So in other words, he was someone I didn't want to associate with.

I guess I've always had a radar or a detection thing that helped me define the good people from the bad ones. That "radar" was the thing that brought me and Tomo-chan together in elementary school. Most of the girls would bully me because of my long braids but Tomo-chan defended me and said that they were cute. I stuck by her ever since, and my "radar" told me she was a good person. My "radar" didn't lie to me. Then in middle school, I think it broke. I have many good friends in middle school, that's for sure, but some unknown force dragged me to Echizen Ryoma. At first I was thankful for him saving me in the subway and I felt guilty that I gave him the wrong directions, but after I saw him defeating Sasabe in his normal condescending manner, my infatuation with him began.

I began to make bentos for him and I read so many cookbooks that I think that, even now, I don't need to open another cookbook ever again. I attended all his games when, before I hadn't even thought of tennis. I started tennis because of him, and also because I felt guilty that I had ignored when my grandmother wanted me to take it up for so long. He never once really did compliment me, besides the "Not bad"s he gave everyone. But he says that to everyone, so it doesn't count. He never once showed any appreciation for me working hard making his lunch or making anything for that matter. He was one of the most egotistical, ungrateful people I've ever met. And to think that I was so crazy about him. I think that's so bizarre.

But, now that I think about it, he actually helped me, in a way. I tried to become better at everything, just for him, and because of him, I'm trying to become a better person for myself. The person who gave me one of the most depressing times of my life also gave me the most happiest. How ironic. Maybe the "radar" hadn't broken. It just started working in weird ways.

As I was distracted by my thoughts, I heard a chair scraping the floor and a person plopping down onto a seat. A person gave me a small tap from behind, and I sat up abruptly, started by the sudden touch. I looked back to see Echizen Ryoma, older, with the same, cocky smirk of his plastered on his face.

---0---

I didn't know what to think. There he was, the object of my thoughts, sitting behind me because there was an empty seat behind me before.

"Hey Ryuuzaki," he whispered. "Long time no see."

I was thoroughly surprised. I turned away from his face to ponder what he had said. When did Echizen Ryoma care if he hadn't seen me for a while? It was certainly odd, but I brushed it off and returned his sentiments. "Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? Echizen-kun," I murmured.

"Eh? When did you start calling me Echizen-kun? I thought you called me Ryoma-sama or something before?" He sounded surprised. But when did the cocky guy from two years ago become cockier? I thought there was a limit as to how arrogant a person could get.

I replied, "I didn't call you Ryoma-sama. That was Tomo-chan. I called you Ryoma-kun back then."

"So why aren't you calling me 'Ryoma-kun' now?" He asked.

My mouth twitched in irritation. Who does he think he is? Some rich, famous celebrity? He's just crazy good at tennis, smart, and pretty good looking. He isn't a worldwide idol. "Echizen-kun," I said, trying to keep calm, "I believe we are talking during class. I would like it if you would be quiet so we could both pay attention to the lecture."

"Fine." He sounded like a little kid who's mother rejected his plea for more candy. Throughout the rest of the class, he didn't talk to me again. The bell rang for second period and the teacher got up and left the classroom. It would take another few minutes for the next teacher to come in, so I decided to ponder on what had happened earlier in the morning.

Ryoma-kun surely changed…in both appearance and temperament. He was taller, more muscular, and looked more mature; the two years away in America had changed him from a short, teenage boy into a dignified, young man. Of course, that was just his appearance. His personality, from what I had seen in the last hour or so, had change drastically. Before he would have probably greeted me with a slight nod, and maybe a mumble of "Ryuuzaki" that I probably wouldn't have been able to hear. But he added, "Long time no see" into the conversation. That left me baffled. He grew up in America, but did his return to America change him that much that he would actually attempt to talk to someone like me in class? Before he would have wanted to sleep before even thinking of talking to me, but now he made an attempt to converse. He asked questions that weren't exactly necessary, and he asked why I called him "Echizen-kun" and not "Ryoma-kun" like I used to. The "Ryoma-kun" wouldn't have asked that. But "Echizen-kun" did. I don't understand it.

Besides his personality changing, he is still overflowing with arrogance. Well, I must admit, he does have a nice face. And he's pretty smart, at least from what I've seen. Also, he's one of the best in tennis. But he has no right to go and act like he owns everything, because, even if he did own everything in the world, he would never own me. And that is, and will always be, an undeniable fact.

Finally, our second period teacher came into the classroom, and she began her lecture on the difference between English adjectives and adverbs.

---0---

The next two periods zoomed by in the same manner and it was soon time for lunch. I stood up and grabbed my bento and walked out of the classroom to meet Tomo-chan in the next room. As I left, I heard people attempting to talk to Ryoma-kun while he tried to brush him away. When I heard footsteps approaching me, I began to walk faster and faster, but whoever was trailing me had longer legs or ran to catch up with me. This mysterious person grabbed my shoulder to stop me, but I brushed it off and ran to Tomo-chan's class.

I walked to her seat, which was next to the window on the far side. She greeted me with her usual grin and a cheerful "Sakuno" before interrogating me about what I had made for lunch that day. All her inquiries were stopped short when she saw someone or something at the door. I sat down on the seat next to her, and turned to face her, so I couldn't see who or what she was looking at. But I had an educated guess.

Tomo-chan's eyes dazzled. "Ryoma-sama!"

I groaned at her exclamation.

---0---

Just to clarify some things, I don't hate Ryoma-kun. Actually, I like him, to an extent. Even though he didn't return my infatuation for him, I still considered him a good friend. I just didn't want the sadness to resurface again. Ever since he left, I was happy. Life was great. I didn't have to worry about what to make him for lunch that day or care about how many hours I should practice tennis for him to notice me. I could just be myself. But now that he's in my presence again, I'm afraid that I'll return back to the me of two years ago. Because no matter how much I try to ignore or hide it, I know, buried deep inside my heart, that I still have feelings for him. But now that I think about it, the plan to improve myself for myself never began. Because inside, I was waiting, waiting for him to return to see the new and improved Ryuuzaki Sakuno.

---0---

A/N: It's kind of an awkward ending, but I thought that if I continued, then it would take too long, and I would just give up on it. So 2nd chapter…

Oh and the school system: The Korean school system is like that, the teacher moves classes while the students stay in the same class. I thought since Korea and Japan are kinda similar, that the school system would be same. I'm just guessing though.

This is all in Sakuno's POV. I thought that it would be obvious but as I read it over, it isn't that obvious. So as to clear things up. So as I said, I'm going to update a lot, and since it's still summer, probably every day or every other day. Just depends on my mood.

Review! And thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: OOCness, but please read through it. **

* * *

3. Longest

When I got to school the next day, the students were bustling with excitement. Echizen Ryoma, the hero of Seigaku from two years ago had returned. He alone, could help our mediocre boys' tennis team.

* * *

A year ago, when Kaidou-senpai and Momoshiro-senpai left for high school, they left Horio-kun and the others to take care of the tennis team for the new year. Ever since Tezuka-senpai and Ryoma-kun left, the new could barely place in the Kantou tournament, much less make it to Nationals. This year, they were doing even worse.

I'm not necessarily calling the boys team bad, but, in all frankness, I've seen better. Even no-name schools are slowly passing us by in boys' tennis.

And the school, who, in the past, had been very proud of their National Champion boys' tennis team nearly lost all hope in the sport, at least, for the boys. Ever since I became a regular last year, the girls' team had been slowly getting better and better, while the boys team had been getting worse. We aren't nearly as good as other nationally seeded schools, but, if I were to compare depending on where we stand on rankings, we do better than the boys' team. But I'm not one to judge. I'm the team captain, after all.

* * *

As I walked into my class, I felt the anticipation radiating off my classmates. They had felt the exhilaration of winning a huge sport, and they were expecting to experience the thrill again. And I didn't blame them. I had been one of the ones who could see our victory directly, and I was excited myself, although I'll never say that out loud.

A few minutes later Ryoma-kun came into the classroom with his usual greenish-blue hair and the air of arrogance that always seemed to surround him. He took the seat right behind me as my classmates and I watched him. Then, resting his head on his left arm he looked outside, completely ignoring our stares. He was still as nonchalant as ever. Despite him ignoring me I still gazed at him behind my back. He was looking at something…watching something, and having my curiosity piqued, I followed his gaze towards the tennis courts, where Horio-kun and his team were gathered. They had an excuse to be late to class, since they were starting their season soon and they would need all the practice they could get. That excuse, however, did not extend to the girls' team.

We both tore our gazes away from the courts as our homeroom teacher walked in.

* * *

"Oh, that's right Echizen-kun," our homeroom teacher said, "I'll need to write down which club or sport you'll be taking throughout the year. School policy, but I'm guessing it's tennis right?" My classmates exchanged some words about how our tennis team would become so much better with him. I even heard someone say "With Echizen here, we have the Nationals in the bag."

I wasn't really paying attention, so when silence filled the room I assumed that Ryoma-kun just nodded without saying until I saw my teacher staring at him, waiting for an answer. The other students followed suit.

He looked at our teacher with his golden eyes. And they narrowed. "No, what makes you think that?"

Saying that our teacher looked surprised was an understatement. She was flustered, embarrassed that she had guessed something and had gotten it wrong, but I was just confused. I turned around to stare at him, to see if he wasn't just another hallucination or an imposter or heard wrong, and I saw my classmates doing the same thing. Finally, one of my classmates shouted, "What?" Then all of my classmates started throwing him questions while I just stared at him. He seemed unaffected by the chaos. And finally, our teacher made us quiet down and told us not to talk about the matter until our free time.

And during lunch that day, I think I had the longest conversation I ever had with Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

When the lunch bell rang, my classmates instantly stood up from their chairs and began bombarding Ryoma-kun with questions. They eventually gave up, because Ryoma-kun just shrugged off all the questions and brought out his lunch. They dispersed as quickly as they came, while I stayed sitting in my seat, listening to them.

An inquisitive voice made me turn my chair around. "Aren't you going to ask me questions too?"

I hesitated before answering, "I want to, but I'm sure you're not going to answer them." After a few moments of silence I brought out my lunch and laid it on my desk.

"Hmm. I might answer them, depending on what you ask." He replied.

I sighed. "Well then, why aren't you joining the tennis team?"

I waited expectantly, before he answered, "I'm not going to answer that."

"Why not?" I turned around to look at him while we were speaking, ignoring the stares that my classmates were giving me.

He looked down to his lunch. "I don't want to answer."

I frowned as I said, "See, you're not answering any of my questions."

"You've only asked two."

"Well…if you're evading the two questions I've asked you…what are the chances that you'll answer any?"

We were silent then for a few minutes, before he asked a question of his own. "Where's Osakada?"

At that moment, I felt like a huge idiot. I had totally forgotten Tomo-chan, my best friend from who knows when because of my curiosity over some boy who liked evading questions. And before I could get up to go find her or even say something, Ryoma-kun said, "Wow, you forgot about your friend because of me. I'm flattered." I stared blankly at him. "I mean as much as you like me, there must be a limit to that right? I think it's stupid, to ditch a friend over a guy that you like. In fact, I find it disgusting. I don't like girls that are like that you know." I blinked twice before he continued, "Of course, I think it's very gratifying if girls fight over me. I'm that awesome. So if your friendship with Osakada broke because of me, well, I'm sorry for you since, unfortunately for you, she was your only friend." I sat there frozen, unable to reply back. As much as I wanted to hit him, my self-control held me back. Seeing this, Ryoma-kun went on, "Although, I must say, good riddance." My eyes widened. "I don't know why you were friends with her, but she always seemed annoying to me. " I clenched my fists which were resting on lap. "On top of that she's ugly. Her pigtails are even more stupid than your long braids. Hair serves no purpose but to cover your head, there's no reason to grow it long or tie it up. Nobody cares how it looks like."

"Well she cares." I thought. "And so do I."

"And what about those excuses to not play tennis? Who cares about her little brothers except herself? If they die it's her pain, not anybody else's. If she can't play then she doesn't have to make up a lame excuse." I glared at him. To talk about me was one thing, and to talk about Tomo-chan was another, but to bring her family into this was just…

"And dressing up in that cheerleader outfit, she's such a slut."

…so…

"Eventually I'm sure she's going to grow up to be a prostitute or something."

…

"I'm sure her own husband would only marry her because she had his illegitimate child or something. And she'll probably find all these rich people and ask them to screw her for money."

_Screech_

"And when she has time between her husband and rich people, she'll probably fuck herself because that's how she—"

_Slap_

And thus ended the longest conversation I ever had with Echizen Ryoma.

* * *

**A/N:...So...sorry if I offended any of you because of Ryoma bashing Tomoka, but it fit with the story. And I'm sorry for the OOCness, but nobody stays the same forever, and I just think Ryoma will be like that in two years after the manga. If you want me to further explain...I'm sure you know ways to get in contact with me.**

**And sorry for updating so late...(everyday my ass) I won't be making promises on updating, since school is starting. Please tell me if I made a mistake or something; I'd like to fix it. Also if you have any questions, you can PM me or something.  
**


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